Part 1 of 4: Picking Sunglasses for Protection

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Protect your eyes! Excessive exposure to UV radiation can cause a variety of problems for your eyes such as cataracts, burns, and cancer.[1]

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If you want your sunglasses to protect you from these risks, look for pairs that block at least 99% of UVB rays and at least 95% of UVA rays. Also look for the amount of cover the sunglasses provide. Look at how much you can see around the frames, will the sunglasses let in sun from the top or sides?

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Don't buy sunglasses if they're labeled as "cosmetic" or don't provide any information on UV protection.

Look for scratch resistance, many lenses have very fragile coatings. If you are spending much money, you want them to last. Fortunately damaged lenses can be replaced for most models.[[1]][2]

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Part 2 of 4: Deciding on a Style

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Sunglasses come in all shapes and sizes! Generally, finding a contrast between your face shape and the frame shape will look good. Eg if you have a round face, more angular frames will work well, and if your face is more square, a rounder softer frame shape will look good. Here are a few popular styles:

Mirrorshades - Mirrored coating on surface. Used a lot by police officers in the US. They usually come in an aviator or wraparound shape.

Aviators - Teardrop-shaped lens and thin metal frames. Often used by pilots, military personnel, and law enforcement personnel in the US. Good with any face shape, but best with an oval shape.

Wayfarers/Spicolis - Popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Teashades - Popularized by John Lennon and Ozzy Osbourne. They're not very effective at keeping light out of your eyes, though.

Make sure the sunglasses fit properly. Try them on and make sure they don't pinch around your head. The weight should be evenly distributed between your ears and nose, and your eyelashes shouldn't touch the frame or lenses.

Are you getting these sunglasses for sports? you will want a nice close fit, possibly with rubber grips on the arms. If they are for fishing or use on water, polarization is a must.[2]

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Part 3 of 4: Choosing Lens Color Wisely

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The color of the lenses doesn't just affect your fashion statement, it affects how well you detect contrast and differentiate colors. Some colors enhance contrast, which can be useful; however, this is often at the expense of color distinction, which can cause problems (when you're driving, for example, and need to be able to clearly differentiate the colors of a traffic light). Some sunglasses even come with interchangeable lenses so you can change the color easily, depending on what you're doing.

Brown lenses partially enhance contrast by blocking some blue light.[3] Good for snow sports.[4] Also generally good for hunting in bright light, against open backgrounds.[4]

Amber/yellow lenses significantly enhance contrast because they block most or all blue light, and that makes them popular among hunters who benefit from that contrast when looking at targets against the sky. They're bad, however, for any activity that requires color recognition (like driving!).[3] Good for snow sports.

Red/orange lenses are good for snow sports but only on overcast days.[4] If you're a hunter, orange lenses are good for clay targets against open backgrounds.[4]

Violet lenses are good for hunters who need to see clay targets on a green background.[4]